The San Antonio class is the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

's new primary class of amphibious transport dock

Amphibious transport dock

An amphibious transport dock, also called a landing platform/dock , is an amphibious warfare ship, a warship that embarks, transports, and lands elements of a landing force for expeditionary warfare missions. Several navies currently operate this kind of ship...

 (LPD) in the beginning of the 21st century. It is replacing the older Austin-

Austin class amphibious transport dock

The Austin class of amphibious transport dock followed theRaleigh class and was followed by the San Antonio classes. Note that some sources consider Cleveland and Trenton ships to be a part of the Austin class, but the Naval Vessel Registry lists them as a separate class.- Ships :-Cleveland...

, Cleveland-, and Trenton-class LPDs as well as the Anchorage-class

Anchorage class dock landing ship

The Anchorage class dock landing ships were a series of five dock landing ships constructed and commissioned by the United States Navy between 1965 and 1972. US Navy decommissioned all five of them by 2003. They are succeeded by Whidbey Island class LSDs and Harpers Ferry class LSDs.-Ship List: ...

 dock landing ship

Dock landing ship

A Dock landing ship or Landing ship is a form of amphibious warship designed to support amphibious operations. These amphibious assault ships transport and launch amphibious craft and vehicles with their crews and embarked personnel...

s, Newport-class

Newport class tank landing ship

Newport-class tank-landing ships are an improved class of American tank-landing ship , intended to provide substantial advantages over their World War II-era predecessors...

 tank landing ship

Tank landing ship

Landing Ship, Tank was the military designation for naval vessels created during World War II to support amphibious operations by carrying significant quantities of vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto an unimproved shore....

s, and one class that has already been retired, the Charleston-class

Charleston class amphibious cargo ship

The Charleston-class amphibious cargo ships were a class of amphibious cargo ships in service with the United States Navy. These ships served in Amphibious Readiness Groups between 1968 and 1994. The ships were the last amphibious cargo ships built for the U.S...

 amphibious cargo ship

Amphibious cargo ship

Amphibious cargo ships were U.S. Navy ships designed specifically to carry troops, heavy equipment and supplies in support of amphibious assaults, and to provide naval gunfire support during those assaults. A total of 108 of these ships were built between 1943 and 1945—which worked out to an...

s.

Twelve San Antonios were originally planned, but funding for the San Antonio class was reduced as a result of budget cuts, and only ten ships will be funded. There are currently four San Antonio-class LPDs under construction and five in commission as of January 2010; LPD 26 has been awarded, while LPD 27 and 28 are planned, but have not been awarded to a shipyard or all named. The final unit cost for each ship is not yet known, but cost of the first ship of the class, the , was nearly US$1.4 billion.

Design and development

The class's increased vehicle and substantial cargo carrying capacity will make it a key element of 21st century Amphibious Ready Groups, Expeditionary Strike Groups, or Joint task forces. The ships of the new class integrate the latest in shipbuilding and warfighting

Naval warfare

Naval warfare is combat in and on seas, oceans, or any other major bodies of water such as large lakes and wide rivers.-History:Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Land warfare would seem, initially, to be irrelevant and entirely removed from warfare on the open ocean,...

 technologies to support current and future Marine Corps aircraft, and both air cushion or conventional landing craft.

The San Antonios are designed to be the most survivable amphibious ships ever put to sea. The design incorporates state-of-the-art self-defense capabilities; and includes facilities for Command and Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I); and reduced radar cross-section signature technologies. Reduced operational costs and an improved capability to incorporate technological advances over its 40-year service life are also essential design objectives. The Advanced Enclosed Mast/Sensor

Advanced Enclosed Mast/Sensor

The US Navy's Advanced Enclosed Mast/Sensor system fully integrates advanced materials, structures, and manufacturing technologies with sensor technology, electromagnetics, and signature reduction....

s, which enclose the ship's radars and communications antennas, characterize the ship's distinctive profile. The LPD-17 class was largely designed with the metric system

Metric system

The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...

, specifying millimeters for linear dimensions and other parameters. It is the first major U.S. Navy ship class to be so constructed. Most machinery parameters remain in U.S. customary units

United States customary units

United States customary units are a system of measurements commonly used in the United States. Many U.S. units are virtually identical to their imperial counterparts, but the U.S. customary system developed from English units used in the British Empire before the system of imperial units was...

.

The ship's ability to carry Landing Craft, Air Cushioned

Air-cushioned landing craft

An air cushioned landing craft, also called an LCAC is a modern variation on the amphibious landing boat. These craft are based on small- to mid-sized multi-purpose hovercraft, also known as "over the beach" craft...

 (LCACs), the Shipboard Wide Area Network with over 762 fiber optic drops, Total Ship's Training System, Integrated Bridge System, Engineering Control System, and Damage Control System all serve to ensure that sailors and Marines will be able to fully perform their expeditionary warfare missions. The San Antonios also incorporate the latest quality of life standards for the embarked Marines and sailors, including the sit-up berth, ship services mall, and Learning Resource Center/Electronic Classroom with the flexibility to accommodate sailors and Marines of both sexes as part of the crew and embarked troops.

J. Michael Gilmore

J. Michael Gilmore

J. Michael Gilmore is the Director of the Operational Test and Evaluation Directorate of the United States Department of Defense.-Biography:A native of Ohio, Gilmore resides in Virginia...

, the Defense Department’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), has said that the ships are 'capable of operating “in a benign environment,” but not effective, suitable and not survivable in a combat situation'.

USS San Antonio, the first ship of the class, has experienced several construction related issues.

United States senator Kay Hagan has asked if the LPD-17 construction line ought to be extended to a 12th ship as a bridge to building the LSD(X) on the same hull, but the USN has indicated that the requirements of the LSD(X) have not yet been settled and that the LPD-17 hull might be too large for such a mission.

Ships of the class

Name	Number	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Home port	Status
	LPD-17	Avondale Avondale Shipyard Avondale Shipyard was an independent shipbuilding company, acquired by Litton Industries, in turn acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation. Now, along with the former Ingalls Shipbuilding, the yard is part of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. The yard is located on the West Bank of the Mississippi... , La.	12 July 2003	14 January 2006	Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, is a base of the United States Navy, supporting naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command, those operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean... , Virginia Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...	Active
	LPD-18	Avondale Avondale Shipyard Avondale Shipyard was an independent shipbuilding company, acquired by Litton Industries, in turn acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation. Now, along with the former Ingalls Shipbuilding, the yard is part of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. The yard is located on the West Bank of the Mississippi... , La.	11 December 2004	10 March 2007	San Diego, California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...	Active
	LPD-19	Ingalls Ingalls Shipbuilding Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries... , Miss.	19 November 2004	15 December 2007	Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, is a base of the United States Navy, supporting naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command, those operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean... , Virginia Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...	Active
	LPD-20	Avondale Avondale Shipyard Avondale Shipyard was an independent shipbuilding company, acquired by Litton Industries, in turn acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation. Now, along with the former Ingalls Shipbuilding, the yard is part of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. The yard is located on the West Bank of the Mississippi... , La.	11 August 2006	24 January 2009	San Diego, California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...	Active
	LPD-21	Avondale Avondale Shipyard Avondale Shipyard was an independent shipbuilding company, acquired by Litton Industries, in turn acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation. Now, along with the former Ingalls Shipbuilding, the yard is part of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. The yard is located on the West Bank of the Mississippi... , La.	19 December 2007	7 November 2009	Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, is a base of the United States Navy, supporting naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command, those operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean... , Virginia Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...	Active
	LPD-22	Ingalls Ingalls Shipbuilding Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries... , Miss.	7 May 2010			Under construction
	LPD-23	Avondale Avondale Shipyard Avondale Shipyard was an independent shipbuilding company, acquired by Litton Industries, in turn acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation. Now, along with the former Ingalls Shipbuilding, the yard is part of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. The yard is located on the West Bank of the Mississippi... , La.	12 February 2011			Under construction
	LPD-24	Ingalls Ingalls Shipbuilding Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries... , Miss.	23 November 2010			Under construction
	LPD-25	Avondale Avondale Shipyard Avondale Shipyard was an independent shipbuilding company, acquired by Litton Industries, in turn acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation. Now, along with the former Ingalls Shipbuilding, the yard is part of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. The yard is located on the West Bank of the Mississippi... , La.				Under construction
	LPD-26	Ingalls Ingalls Shipbuilding Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries... , Miss.				Under construction
	LPD-27	Ingalls Ingalls Shipbuilding Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries... , Miss.				Materials being purchased

External links

• The San Antonio class's Web site